Killer Cliche
by Secret Snoopy
Summary: The folks of HM64 go on a trip... but when people start to die around them, it time to find the killer before they're the next victims.
1. Day One

Disclaimer: I'll tell ya when I own the rights to HM... heh heh my current bid is $5.00 compared to some other person's $100,000,000... I just don't have that kind of money to spend just to get rid of tedious disclaimers!

Author's Note: It took awhile, but I'm back with another story! I'm actually taking a big risk with it because I'm not really a mystery writer... and I've never written a mystery story, so this is my first time! Oh yeah, when I refer to 'The Masters' (as in what a character is watching on TV) it's a golf tournament... in fact, the most important golf tournament! Anyway, on to the story! Oh yeah, one more thing, it's in Ann's POV. Now, on to the story!

* * *

**Killer Cliche**  
Day One 

(Friday afternoon)

"Ann! Did you pack your bag?" my father asked me from behind my bedroom door. "We're leaving in just a few hours!"

"Uh... I'm doing it right now!" I answered him, trying to keep my voice even. Truth be told, I hadn't even gotten the suitcase from out of my closet. It wasn't like I wasn't busy though, I was watching The Masters, and my favourite player (Mike Weir) was totally kicking serious ass! I couldn't just stop watching... it'd be wrong to!

Er, you're probably wondering why I need to pack my bag. No, I'm not moving, but we're going on a trip, to Toronto, Canada. Yech. Normally I like to go to new places, but why did they have to make it on the Masters weekend? So instead exploring and visiting places, I'm going to be cooped up in our hotel room, watching television. It might be okay though, because a whole bunch of us are going, my family, Maria's family, Elli, Popuri, Karen, Rick, Jack, Kai, Cliff, Harris, Jeff, Duke and the Pastor. But still, why couldn't they of scheduled it next week instead?

I waited for the commercials when I grabbed my suitcase and hurled it onto my bed, opened it up, grabbed some clothes and tossed them in. I managed to toss in some other necessities before the commercials ended. There, I was done! All with enough time to fit about two more hours of watching golf!

* * *

(Saturday morning) 

"I'm sorry sir, but all we have is one single bedroom left." The woman who ran the inn said patiently.

Jack, Kai and Cliff looked at each other simultaneously. "But we can't all share one bed!" Kai squealed.

"I'm sorry, but that's all we have left."

"But... we don't want that room!"

Rick stomped his foot. "C'mon! The rest of us have already found our rooms and dumped our stuff there! If you don't hurry up, we're just going to leave without you!" Our group was to be at Eaton's Centre at 10:00am. It was 10:15, and we were still stuck at the inn we were staying in.

"Okay!" Cliff growled, grabbing the key. "But you're going to pay for this!" The three men grabbed their bags and trudged to their rooms. The rest of us, still waiting at the lobby and feeling rather impatient, took a seat on some nearby sofas.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Elli said as she took a seat beside me. "One of them can sleep on the couch while the other two share the bed."

"They're guys," I responded. "They never want to share a bed with anyone unless they're sleeping with them."

"Men," Karen scoffed. "Who needs them?"

"Well, to maintain a human population," Maria quipped quietly.

Popuri giggled. "Well, cute guys are nice to have."

Jack, Cliff and Kai returned shortly, all three with pale expressions.

"What's wrong?" Karen said, smirking.

Jack swallowed hard. "There's no couch."

* * *

"Wow, it's so pretty," I gushed when we entered the Eaton's Centre. In my lifetime, I've been to big malls, but nothing ever like this. Four floors, with an airy and bright glass roof, and offices on the sides. The ultimate shopping experience, if you ask me (A/N: It's better in person, so if you get the chance you should go there! Hee hee, maybe you'll even bump into moi!) 

"C'mon, don't just stand there, let's go!" Karen squealed, grabbing my arm and running off in a giddy heap.

Our group went on a total spending rampage, even though things were quite expensive (well, expensive to us because the exchange rate on our currency is... not very much!). After that, we went for a late lunch at the foodcourt on the first level. When we had sat down with our food, that's when we all realized something...

"Hey, where are Jack and Cliff?" Jeff pointed out.

We all gasped. None of us noticed that they were gone! And come to think of it, I don't really remember seeing them specifically during our tour of the mall.

"Oh dear," Maria's mother murmured. "I hope they're all right."

"They should be smart enough to take a cab back to our inn," my father said, biting into his Harvey's burger.

I tried not to think too much about it. I decided to focus my energy on eating my thick submarine sandwich. Boy, walking and shopping really gives you an appetite!

* * *

Our group made it back to the inn, our hands hurting from the bags we were carrying. I was just about to rush up to our room and flick on the television when one of the members of housecleaning came up to us, a look of remorse on her face. 

"Oh my God," Rick said. "Did my mango-papaya conditioner explode in my pack?"

She shook her head sadly. "No... it's something far much worse."

"Tell us sister," the pastor insisted.

"The body of Mrs. Beagle was found lifeless on the ground about an hour ago. The police have come in, and it was found that she was strangled."

We all gasped. I didn't know who Mrs. Beagle was, but if she thought she had to tell us, then there's got to be a reason to be sad.

"Who's Mrs. Beagle?" Harris asked.

"The owner of the inn. You spoke to her while checking in."

"Ah."

I couldn't believe it. A murder in the inn.

"We've questioned a few people who were in the building during the time of the... the misfortune," she continued. "Including two guests you two are staying with... Cliff and Jack I believe?"

Everyone nodded simultaneously, but a flicker of fear rose somewhere inside me. Jack and Cliff were in the group that didn't want that room. And if I may quote Cliff, I do recall him saying, "... You're gonna pay for this!" Oh my God, Jack and Cliff didn't kill Mrs. Beagle, did they? But then why were they here at the inn, while they were supposed to be at the Eaton's Centre with us? There has to be some sort of explanation. Cliff and Jack were not cold-hearted killers... they couldn't be.

"Oh my God," Maria whispered to me. "I bet Cliff killed Mrs. Beagle!"

"What? How could you say that?" I demanded.

"Cliff... he's an odd fellow. He doesn't look like he has a lot of morals. We don't really know his history either. And didn't he get stuck with a room he didn't like?"

"Cliff is not the killer!" I screamed unintentionally. Everyone turned to look at me, then went off to their rooms. I might of just aroused more suspicion, actually. But even inside me, I couldn't deny to myself that Cliff might have killed Mrs. Beagle.

* * *

(Saturday afternoon) 

I was back in my hotel room, watching television (well, I was still watching the Masters!), feeling pretty sad. Jeff Maggert who out of nowhere started throwing up red numbers in a hurry. GRR! Sure, he hadn't taken over the lead... yet, but he was closing in on the gap that Mike (Weir) had made for a comfortable lead. Oh yeah, the murder... that was sad too. It was, really. There was a killer on the loose, possibly in the very building we were staying in!

Jeff (Maggert) had just finished his last hole and Mike was still out there when all of a sudden, the screen went from lush greens to black and white static.

"Ah!" I shrieked, jumping from my seat. It scared me!

Gray appeared from the other room. "What? What's wrong Ann?"

"_The TV the TV_!"

Gray picked up the remote and started to flip the channels. "Nothing."

"_AHHH_!" I shrieked again, jumping from my spot on the bed and galloping around the room. "_The cable went out_!"

"Calm down!" Gray commanded. "Why don't you go to the lobby and tell them?"

"_THIS ISN'T FAIR THIS ISN'T FAIR_!" I kept shrieking, jumping out the door and into the lobby. The same woman who told us about the murder looked up from the book she was flipping through when I approached. "_THE CABLE WENT OUT_!"

She furrowed her brow at me. "Are you sure?"

"_YES YES_!" I shrieked again. "_FIX IT FIX IT NOW! I'M MISSING IMPORTANT_ _PROGAMMING RIGHT NOW_!"

"All right all right, I'll send a technician right away," she picked up the phone and began to dial. "Hello... Oh hi Robert! How are you doing? How's that new girlfriend of yours? Uh huh... uh huh... oh, really!"

"Excuse me!" I snapped, finally lowering my voice. "My _cable_ went _out_!"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay listen, I've got a vag here who's cable went out in her room, and we need you to come over and fix it-"

"ASAP!" I inserted.

"Can you come? Uh huh... okay that's fine. Okay bye!" She hung up the phone. "He'll be here at nine o'clock."

"_Nine o'clock_?" I screamed, suddenly shouting again. "That's too late! Find someone else!"

"Robert is my brother! No one else will do it for free."

"I don't _care_! Find somebody _else_!"

"Sorry miss," she said rudely. "But you're just going to have to wait until nine, unless you're willing to hire a technician with your own money.

Insulted, I stomped back to my room, slamming the door.

"Oh, you're back," Gray said. "I guess it didn't go so well?"

"The woman at the front desk won't get it fixed until _nine_! I'm gonna miss the rest of the third round today!" I grabbed a nearby couch cushion and began to punch it fiercely. "And she called me a vag!"

"What's a vag?"

"I dunno, but I'm sure it was something mean! I hate that woman!" I tore a small hole in the cushion, which seemed to satisfy my anger. I tossed it aside. "I hope she dies too!"

Gray raised his eyebrows. "Well, I gotta go." He left the room swiftly. I suddenly still felt mad again, so I started to pull out the cotton stuffing from the cushion and dump it into the trash. Take _that_ person-who-owns-the-inn-now!

* * *

(Saturday evening) 

I was now back, watching the 11 o'clock news, trying to find out what happened in the Master's Tournament today (yes, the Robert fellow came over and fixed up my cable, yeesh). Was my favourite guy still leading? Hopefully YES, but there was a big knot in my stomach that said NO. Well, we'll just have to see won't we?

There was another knot in my stomach too; Gray. He left shortly after my... conversation with the lady downstairs. He hadn't returned, and it's be hours since he left. I didn't really want to leave my room, in fear of the... murderer? And Gray was a big boy, he could take care of himself. Still, I was worried. Hm... I'll check on him after sports... oh oh! Sport's on right now!... oh my gawd Mike's off the lead by two strokes! EW! Okay okay, now onto find my brother...

Slowly, I opened the door and looked from my left to my right. There wasn't anyone in the halls, so I made a dash for the room Jeff, Harris and Rick were staying in. I gave their door a quick rap, but there was no answer. Still feeling paranoid, I bolted down the stairs and into the lobby, where a large group of people were, gathering around a stretcher. The paramedics lifted the body up and placed it in a black body bag.

"Oh my God," I whispered quietly to myself. It was the woman who I had exchanged less than polite words with. Now she was... dead? Two murders in the same day? How... how could this happen?

All the guests watched in horror as the body was wheeled away to the ambulance. I made my way over to Elli. "What happened?"

She turned to me, her eyes tear-stained. "Oh Ann! She was killed! Another murder at this inn!"

The Pastor took a step away from the crowd. "Everyone, I think we should pray for their souls, and the family and friends that are devastated right now."

Suddenly, Gray appeared out of nowhere. "Hi Ann."

"_GRAY_!" I yelped. "Where the hell have you been!"

"Getting ice," he replied, holding up the ice bucket.

"For seven hours?"

"Oh, well, I went with Jack and Rick to explore the area around the inn."

"Uh huh." I wasn't sure if I believed him, but it's not like I had any proof that he was lying either.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Maria whisper to Popuri, "I think Gray did it, don't you?"

Popuri widened her eyes. "H-how? No, he couldn't have! That would not be something Gray could ever do! Gray is NOT a cold-blooded killer Maria!"

"Think about it," Maria persisted. "I mean, he's an odd character. He never speaks his mind. He's unpredictable. Maybe he's a killer."

I wanted to say something to defend my brother, but all I had were more facts to point the crime to him. But there was absolutely _no_ way that my own brother... someone who shares my blood could _not_ be a murderer! Could he? Why would he kill her, just because she pissed me off? That's not like Gray at all! Some vacation huh? It hasn't even been one day, and already there's been two deaths. This was NOT the kind of trip any of us had in mind.

* * *

Dun dun dun dun! Who are the killers? Well, tune in to the final concluding chapter to find out (yes, this fic is going to only be two chapters!). Please review! If you want to give me criticism, do it legitimately and not in a flame! But a review's a review! (PS: Can you tell that I like golf? Don't worry, I'm not an old man or anything like that, I'm just a sophomore girl in high school! Hee hee! PPS: A 'vag' is an acronym for 'very annoying guest'... just some lingo I made up!) 


	2. Day Two

Disclaimer: La la la la la... I'm so sick of these stupid disclaimers. What if I don't say 'I do not own HM or are affiliated with them, I'm not making money off of this, etc. etc.' will I get sued? Okay, let's test that!

Author's Note: Yeah Mindo! Wh00t wh00t! Canada! Well, I'm not really... that hyped up about Canada (even though I live here, cough cough), but since Mike Weir's from Canada... yay! And to be honest, I just LIKE golf... but I LOVE Mike Weir! Hee hee! Oh yeah, I lied when I said that this thing was only going to be two chapters... in all likelihood it's going to be three or four!

* * *

**Killer Cliche**  
Day Two

(Sunday Morning)

I woke up this morning with a funny feeling in my gut. I couldn't really figure out what it was... do you ever get that kind of thing? You think something important is going to happen, but you don't know what. I hate that feeling, but at the same time it's good because then it gets me kinda excited to face the day!

"Mornin' Ann," my brother greeted me. "You better get up, if you don't want to be late."

I frowned in confusion. "Late for what?"

"We're going to the CN Tower today," Gray reminded me. "Don't you remember?"

I scratched my head. "Uh... kinda." I grunted as I pulled myself out of bed. "Gray, don't you remember when vacations were supposed to be relaxing?"

After I got up and dressed (not bothering to shower or have breakfast), our group went down to the lobby again to meet up.

"Where's Maria?" I said, looking around. It wasn't like her to be tardy.

"She told me to apologize to everyone for not being here," her mother explained. "She's terribly sorry she's going to miss this opportunity. Poor girl, too scared of heights and terrorism to even go near the CN Tower."

Heights and terrorism? Oh my God, now _I'm_ scared.

"All right, let's go," Elli said.

Just as we were about to step out the door, someone in a long, brown suede coat flew in.

"Excuse me!" Duke cried out when the man almost crashed into him.

"Oh I'm sorry," he said, sounding a little dazed. "It's just that I got called for this job really late last night, and I'm late right now."

Karen stopped and turned around. "Job? What do you mean, you got a new job here?"

"Well, I'm Detective Sparrow, and I'm here to investigate the crimes that took place yesterday," he said, flashing us his ID. "Are you occupants of this building?"

"Just for awhile," Karen said, eying him suspiciously.

Sparrow tucked his ID away into his coat pocket. "Well, I've love to chat, but I've got a lot of work to be done, and I'm sure you folks have plans as well, so I must be on my way," he walked off brusquely.

"Hmm..." Karen mused to herself. "A detective?"

"I know, isn't it cool?" Jack grinned. "A crime scene. Like he's gonna get to photograph all the blood on the carpet or a bullet somewhere, like on TV"

Karen rolled her eyes. "No you idiot! The detective doesn't do those things!"

"All right all right," my father cut in, pushing us out the door. "Off we go."

* * *

"I dare you." 

"No."

"C'mon, don't be a chicken."

"Did you just call me a chicken?"

"I think I did."

"Still, I'm not doing it."

"Why not?"

I looked down over the glass, making sure that there was at least ten feet from my feet to the floor. "Because I'm scared, okay?"

Elli laughed. "Come on, it's not that scary." She hopped a few times. "See? It won't break."

It takes nerves, I tell you, to stand on that glass floor. No way would I ever do that, knowing it would break and I could plunge God knows how many stories to a certain death. As you could tell, we were at the CN Tower. It was nice, especially the view, but it just stirred my fear of heights up to a new level. You might think how could someone like me, Ann Green, be scared of anything! But I'm scared of heights! It's the only fear I have... that I'm willing to share!

I let out a sigh of relief when Elli stepped off the glass, then my heart lurched again when I watched Popuri step on. I didn't want to watch it, so I turned around. Just a few feet in front of me was Karen and Cliff, who were chatting away.

"You think _I_ did it?" Cliff shrieked. "Karen!"

"Well, everyone thinks you might have done it," she explained. "And you're my number one suspect."

"But... we're family! You can't send me to jail for any reason!"

"So... you're saying you _did_ do it?" Karen raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't do it!"

"Okay Cliff, whatever you say."

"Why does everyone accuse _me_? Why not Jack? We both got separated from you guys and went back to the inn early. Why don't you think it's Jack? Or even that we're in cahoots? How come it's all _me_?"

"Because you're weird, Cliff! Why do you want to live in a cave when you could live with your own cousin!"

"Coz you and your parents don't get along, and I don't want myself to get in the middle of your squabbles."

"You... you just mind your own business, okay?"

Yes, Karen... she's becoming quite the detective herself. I never knew she was interested in crime and that kind of stuff. I guess she never got a chance to try it first-hand, since we live in such a small village where crime is just something that never happens.

* * *

(Sunday afternoon) 

Our group left the CN Tower shortly, after having an early lunch at their revolving restaurant (which I did not take to liking, to say the least). I felt kind of tired, after walking a lot, especially when the streets were somewhat crowded (well, compared to _our_ streets, and I use the term 'streets' loosely). We took a little stroll around the waterfront area before going back to our inn again.

The scene was all too familiar... there were a bunch of police cars in the parking lot when we got there. "Oh my God... what happened now?" I wondered out loud, not even feeling surprised anymore. Maybe the detective nabbed the killer! Yay!

Karen and I ran in, expecting to see someone being led out by handcuffs. Someone was led out all right, but in a large black bag over a stretcher.

"What happened!" Karen screamed to a nearby policeman.

"There's been _another_ murder here," he said, snapping his legal pad back so the cover was on the exterior. "This time, one of our own."

"Detective Sparrow!" Karen and I yelped out in unison.

All the guests were crowded in the lobby again, in shock. Nobody went up to their rooms until the police had left, which was rather uncomfortable, since it meant about thirty people packed in the teeny lobby (which wasn't really a 'lobby', just a room where you go in and out... you know, like the cozy ones at inns!). Three murders in two days. What was going on here? Is Toronto always like this? (A/N: No!)

"I'm going sleuthing," Karen said to me immediately when everyone was settled in their rooms. "Wanna come with me?"

To be honest, yes I did. But she couldn't of picked a worse time to go, since the FINAL round of the Masters was going to be on in... ten minutes! "Why don't we go search for clues at... seven o'clock instead?" I said meekly.

Karen shook her head. "Now or never."

I whimpered. Damn her for making me choose! "Grr! I can't now!"

"It's okay," she shrugged. "I'll fill you in on the details later."

"Hmm... okay, see ya." I started for the stairs. "Hi Robert," I greeted the man, who was now at the front desk, and I guess the new owner of the inn? Wow, three different owners in two days!

So I trotted up to my room, feeling a little let down, but more so very _very_ excited to see who was going to win the Masters! My player was in contention, just two off the lead in second place! Could he win? Of course! Will he win? Well... we'll just have to see!

* * *

(Sunday evening) 

I was biting my nails to death. Oh my God... this may as well be the most stressful time of my life (even though it wasn't really MY stress). Yes, I was still watching the final round. I was hoping that it wouldn't lead to this; one single putt that could make or break his chance to win. If he got it, it would force him to a playoff with some guy named Len Mattiace, who suddenly started getting eagles and birdies all of a sudden (can I say _steriods_?). And what happened to Jeff Maggert you ask? A triple bogey (ew!) and... a _QUINTUPLE_ bogey (eww!). That has got to _suck_ for Jeff, but not for my Mike!

(Author's Note: a triple bogey is three _over_ par, so if it was a par four then you've shot a 7, and quintuple bogey is shooting a 9 on a par four, which is _REALLY_ bad! Also, a play-off... I don't think I need to explain what that is, but just in case, when two or more players are tied for the lead, they will go into a sudden death playoff, which they will play a hole and whoever uses less strokes wins. If they shoot the same then they keep playing other holes until someone wins).

And Mike made his putt... and it went in! _YES_! _WHOO_! Um... sorry. But the crowd on the course went wild too! So aren't I entitled to it?

"Ann? Ann!" someone said from behind my door. I could barely hear it, because of the TV, but I knew it was Karen.

"Hurry up!" I said, shooing her in and flying back to the TV. I wasn't about to miss the playoff.

"What are you watching? The Masters?" Karen sighed. "These Canadians... you know they're making such a big deal about it just because another Canadian might win. So what?"

"It _is_ a big deal!" I cried. "And you know 'that Canadian' is tied for first right now! And they're about to determine who will be the outright winner!"

"Okay okay then I'll talk fast." Karen whipped out a pad of paper. "I got learned some stuff, and came up with a new suspect."

"Uh... huh..." I murmured, keeping one eye on the screen.

"Don't get mad Ann, but--"

"_GRAY IS NOT THE KILLER_!" I screamed.

Karen jumped back. "I wasn't going to say Gray!"

"Oh. Sorry."

"I think Maria and Jack are in cahoots."

"Really?" I forced myself to turn away from the screen. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, yesterday Jack got back to the inn early, and Maria didn't go to the CN Tower with us, and I'm not sure, but I _think_ I saw the two of them sneaking out the inn."

"Really?" I said again, paying my full attention to Karen now. "You really think they could of killed all three of them? But... why?"

Karen shrugged. "I don't know. I'm trying to figure out a lead. But some murderers don't even _need_ leads, they just kill cold-heartedly."

"I don't think Maria and Jack are cold-hearted killers," I said firmly, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Well, that's the reason _you_ don't have any info," Karen pointed out. "You're too naive."

"And you're too paranoid!" I shot back.

"Ann, you--" I could tell she was about to throw a nasty retort at me, but stopped herself. "Okay, sorry for saying that. Just... come over to my room whenever you're ready so we can discuss this more okay?" She stood up to leave.

"Okay, see ya later Karen," I waved goodbye. I didn't question why she stopped herself from being so defensive, like she usually is. I guess it's probably because she figured she needed as many allies as she could. And I do too.

I turned my attention back to the TV. Mike and Len Mattiace (the other guy taking part in the playoff) just made it to the tenth hole, and had both teed off. They both took a nice tee shot from the fairway, and went over to make their second stroke. Fortunately (for me, Mike and all of Canada, since Mike Weir _is_ Canadian), Len's second shot... went into a bizarre area at the pine straw. And it pretty much went downhill for Len. He ended up making a double bogey, and... Mike won!

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHH_!" I screamed, jumping up and down.

"_WHAT WHAT_!" my brother and father stumbled into the room.

"_HE WON HE WON_!" I screamed again, still jumping. They looked at each other, shrugged, and left.

I couldn't believe it. He won! This was a _very_ big deal; I can imagine it now; front page news all over Canada! Ooh, thank God I'm in Canada right now! (Author's Note: It _was_ front page news all over Canada!) This was my single best accomplishment in my life, and it's not even mine!

After watching the Green Jacket (where the defending champion, who was Tiger Woods, would help the new champion into a green Masters jacket), and the stuff that happened in the Butler Cabin, _and_ having some dinner, Karen and I went sleuthing.

"Did you see Mike Weir win?" I asked Karen.

"No..." she shot me an odd glance.

We trotted down the steps to the main lobby, where we just passed Jack and Maria, walking and whispering to one another, looking quite acquainted with each other.

"Hi Jack and Maria!" I said loudly.

They both jumped back. "Hi guys!" they squeaked in unison.

"Whacha been doing?" Karen asked them both.

"Uh... uh..." Jack began, pointing at Maria.

"We aren't-he-we were--" Maria stammered, blushing furiously.

"Maria wasn't feeling well, so I decided to help out a friend and get her some aspirin, but then I didn't know what kind to get her so we both went to the pharmacy--"

"Then where _is_ this aspirin?" I jumped in.

"Uh... uh..." Maria said, still stammering.

"She decided she didn't need aspirin," Jack explained uncertainly.

"Of course," Karen nodded, grinning. "And what were you guys talking about just then?"

Jack glowered at Karen. "Mind your own dang business."

"C'mon Maria," I coaxed, giving Karen a lopsided smile. "You can tell us."

"L-like w-what Jack said, it's n-none of your b-business." Maria told us, trying (unsuccessfully) to make it sound strict and end-of-discussion.

"Well, you kids get going." Jack and Maria made a quick get-away into different directions.

I gawked at Karen. "That was _more_ than a _little_ suspicious!"

"See, didn't I tell you?"

I tapped my chin in thought. "Okay, I'll admit it now. Maria and Jack, possible suspects."

So. Maria and Jack eh? I never thought of them as killers or any sort. But then, I've never really got to know them very well. Not even Maria, who've I've known all my life and a good friend of mine. I didn't want to believe it, but something in the back of my skull just told me _don't go against your instincts_.

* * *

La la la la la- oh hi! (Smile smile) So, what do ya think? Is it getting annoying in any way? Well, if it is, let me know! And as usual, please please PLEASE review! Lova ya lots! 


	3. Day Three

Disclaimer: Y'know the usual... I do not own HM or am affiliated with them and I'm not making money off this... ya di ya da...

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! Tired, I guess. It's interesting to here who you think the killer(s) is/are! Hee hee! And one thing; this fic isn't related to my other fic, so... yuppers!

* * *

**Killer Cliche**  
Day Three 

(Monday Morning)

Over a portable stove we brought along on this trip, my father handed me a plate of my favourite kind of breakfast; scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and buttered toast. Mmmm... yummie yummie in my tummie!

Setting myself down to the small glass table, I grabbed two things; the television remote control and a fork.

Nothing much was on, except morning news shows and stuff alike. But that was fine, because they were all talking non-stop about what happened yesterday afternoon... y'know, when Mike Weir won the Masters!

I was absolutely absorbed. I was watching so long that I didn't notice that Gray had finished his breakfast, and stolen a sausage and two strips of bacon from my plate.

"So what's next for you Mike?" said a reporter on TSN, which was showing a repeat of an interview they had did late last night.

"Well, I'll be heading off to Toronto to the Eaton's Centre's Sears to promote Weir Golf there, and an autograph session. Then off to the Air Canada Centre to drop the puck at tomorrow's Leafs/Flyers game." (A/N: Those aren't his exact words, so y'know, whatever. But the stuff _did_ happen...)

"Oh my God!" I shouted, pushing my plate away (which Gray had finished off for me). I grabbed my laptop computer to search the net for last minute information about this.

"So I guess you're going Ann?" my father asked me.

"Of _course_!" I exclaimed. "I have to!"

Gray covered his ears. "Ann, do you _have_ to yell?"

"_YES_!" Searching through some websites, I finally found the information I was looking for. "Hm hm hm... okay that's perfect, if I leave soon!" I grabbed my wallet and coat before heading out.

"Hold on a second young lady!" my father called just as I stepped out the door. "Walking around a large city all by yourself is not something you should be doing. Go with someone else, so you won't be alone."

"Aw, c'mon dad," I groaned. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle things."

"No Ann," he said firmly. "Especially in a place you aren't familiar with."

"Fine," I huffed, turning to Gray. "C'mon bro."

He shook his head. "Nuh uh. I'm going to the Hockey Hall of Fame with Jeff and Harris."

I growled at him. "Fine! I'm sure there's a whole bunch of people who are willing to go."

Feeling inspired, I went over to Karen's room. If somebody would go, I was sure it was Karen.

"Hi Ann," Karen greeted, looking a little surprised.

"Will you come to the Eaton's Centre and the Air Canada Centre with me?" I asked.

Karen shook her head. "We already went to the Eaton's Centre."

"So what!" I demanded. "We can go again."

"Why don't you ask someone else?" Karen whined. "I'm busy."

"Fine," I told her. "I will."

Finding the next door, I knocked.

"Whah... huh?" I heard Popuri mumble through a yawn from the other side of the door. "Who's the-- _AHHHHH_!"

I practically jumped out of my skin. "Popuri! Popuri!" Oh no! The killer's got Popuri!

"_SPIDER_!"

I wanted to hit her over the head.

"I'll... get a tissue or something!" I heard Elli say as she rushed off.

"Popuri," I began calmly. "Let me in please."

The door opened slowly. "Hi Ann," she greeted me. "Could you come back later? We kinda got a crisis here."

The spider was near the light-switch. Rolling my eyes, I balled up my fists and smashed its guts. "Do you and Elli wanna go to the Eaton's Centre with me?"

"Why do you want to go there again?"

"Uh..." I thought for a second. "To go to Sears..." Well, I didn't lie at least.

"Why do you- _OH_!" Popuri grinned knowingly. "You wanna meet that Canadian right?"

"Um... what Canadian?" I blushed. "There's millions of Canadians in Toronto."

"Yeah, but there a _certain_ Canadian that's coming today to sign autographs after a certain win last night, am I right?" Popuri smiled smugly.

"How do _you_ know about that?"

"Coz I was watching yesterday."

I gawked. "_You_? Watch _sports_!"

"Well, I had nothing else to do. Elli was watching the cooking channel in the other room, and there was nothing else on, so I watched."

"And...? What did you think?"

Popuri grinned. "It was _really_ boring."

My own smug smile faded, and was replaced with a growl. "Shut up," was all I could muster.

Popuri scowled. "Well, it _was_! I don't know how you can put up with it Ann, it's a total snooze fest."

I shook my head quickly. I was wasting time here! Besides, it wasn't the first time someone had told me that. "Okay whatever. Popuri will you _please_ go with me?"

"Okay sure," she bobbed her head up and down.

* * *

"Oh, _hi_ Jack," I said, surprised. Popuri, Jack and I were standing at the end of the _looooooooooong_ autograph line. "I never knew you were into golf." 

"Well, kinda," Jack shrugged. "I mean, I used to play about once every few months before I moved to the island."

Hmm... well someone who shares the same interests with me just _can't_ be a killer, can they?

"What about you Ann? You into this kind of stuff too?"

I looked around the area. There were newspapers (with the front page highlighting the win yesterday), posters, and don't forget the sea of people. "I kinda am."

After getting a quick autograph, the three of us met outside on the sidewalk, just outside Sears. "So, whatcha wanna do now?" I asked them both.

"Actually, I have to go to the Air Canada Centre to get some tickets," Jack said.

"Hey, me too!" I couldn't help but grin. "C'mon, we can pick up the tickets right now!"

The three of us went over to the arena and picked up five tickets (three for us, two for anyone else who would want to go). Then we spent the rest of the day visiting Chinatown and Greektown. It was a neat experience to see all the different cultures. Our island one has one culture; and that's all of us. It's not even really a culture! I was starting to realize why Karen wanted to live in the city so much. Everything... you can get anything, anytime. And you never feel isolated or lonely.

* * *

(Monday Night) 

So Jack, Gray, Jeff, Popuri and I went to the hockey game. I'll admit I'm not a big fan of hockey, but seeing Mike Weir (again) was nice. And y'know what was nicer? The huge cheer that filled the arena when he stepped on the ice. I guess this is a very big deal for Canada, since they don't produce much people who get world recognition, let alone golfers (A/N: Canada's second best golfer is Ian Leggatt. Never heard of him? Exactly!). I don't even know how I came to liking him, I guess coz he's a good golfer, without having to sell out cough Tiger Woods cough.

After the first period of the hockey game, I could see that Popuri was getting restless.

"I'm going for a walk okay?" she told me, standing up.

"But that's the fifth time you've got up in the last thirty minutes!" my heart sank. "Popuri, are you bored?"

"N-no, I'm not bored!" she said confidently.

I shook my head, feeling very guilty. "C'mon, I can see right through you. You're bored and you don't have to hide it."

"No Ann, it's okay," Popuri insisted. "Really, I'm fine."

I knew if I didn't leave with her, the guilt would just eat me alive. "C'mon Popuri, let's go back to the inn."

Her face drained of its colour. "Seriously, I'm fine! I'm having fun, really!"

I shook my head and forced her off her seat. "I'll be honest. I'm bored too. So let's just go home and get some rest, okay?"

Popuri smiled. "Okay, let's go." She handed her leftover nachos to Jack (and I gave my popcorn to Gray) and we started for home. I kept my mouth shut during the whole trip back to the inn, because I didn't want Popuri to figure out I didn't want to leave, but I did because I wanted to make me feel less guilty and her more happy (see, aren't I a good friend?).

"You go ahead inside," I told her, waving her away. "I'm just gonna pick up some newspapers." I popped into a nearby Daisy Mart and bought every single newspaper I could find. I don't think I need to tell you why I did that (smile smile!). It was so cool to see Mike Weir's name on every single headline.

With the large packages of paper laden in my arms, I opened the door and stepped into the familiar looking inn lobby. Popuri was nowhere to be seen. In fact, no one was there, not even Robert. That was kinda weird huh?

I looked down the hall, hoping to see someone about. The halls were empty too, but a door that was numberless was wide open, so I decided to have a peek inside. Without a sound, I snuck up to the door.

"Help... someone help!" someone shouted from the room below.

"_KAREN_!" I screamed, pounding down the steps, unaware of any danger I might of put myself in. One thing came to mind... the serial killings. Was Karen the next victim? I didn't even think about whether this was a set-up or a trap (like the killer could've recorded her crying for help, and played it back to lure people in). I pounded down the steps, to see none other than Karen, tied up to a chair.

"Ann!" Karen gasped, her voice full of appreciation. "Thank God!"

"What happened?" I squeaked, sawing off the ropes that bound her hands and feet with a utility knife I carried around with me all the time. "Was it...?"

"Yeah."

I fought back a scream. This was unbelievable.

"Great, thanks!" Karen quickly squeezed her way though the last gaps of the ropes and we both proceeded up the stairs, when someone started to come down. I couldn't see who it was at first, but taking the precautions, I drove over the railings and under the flight of stairs.

"Well, you escaped huh?" a voice said roughly, grabbing Karen's arm. "Well, I'm not letting you hear alive. Either I die, or you. And I'd prefer you, if you don't mind that girlie." With a gun he carried in his other hand, the man pointed it towards her head.

"_KAREN_!" I screamed, exposing myself.

The man whirled around to face me. Oh my _God_!

"Robert!" I yelped.

He kept his clamp on Karen's throat firm as he shifted his gun in my direction, stepping down to the floor. I froze in terror. "Don't make a single move, ya hear me!"

That wasn't going to be a problem.

Karen took the moment Robert left his guard down to kick him in the shin. He cussed out loud and fell to the ground, losing his fingering with the pistol.

"Get the gun Ann get it!"

Robert came up quickly, grabbing Karen's long hair like a dog leash. "Not a smart move girlie. You know, I was thinking about just ending your life quickly, y'know? One quick blow. But since you pulled that little stunt, I'll make sure of it that you die a slow, agonizing death."

"Let go of the girl," I said, the gun now in my hands. "I'm not kidding, I will use this if I have to."

Now unarmed, he was completely useless. In a flash, he pushed Karen aside and made a break for the stairs. With one carefully timed body slam, he was out cold.

"Got any rope?" I asked Karen. She actually managed to find some, and started to tie up his hands.

"Oh Ann!" Karen jumped up and gave me a big hug. "You saved my life!"

"And you solved the mystery Karen," we both grinned and gave each other another hug.

"What'd you say we call the police and get this loser behind bars huh?" Karen exclaimed.

* * *

In less than ten minutes, the police had come and dragged the still unconscious man into their squad car. Every guest had come down to the lobby to see what was all the commotion about. I'm sure they didn't except to see the owner of the building they were staying in being hauled away by the cops. But at least the killer was nabbed. 

"How'd you know it was Robert who was the killer?" I asked Karen when I finally got the chance.

"I didn't," Karen giggled. "I stumbled on it by accident. But I did manage to find out some stuff about him..." She started to give me some much needed facts.

"Well... when you and Popuri went out, I decided to do some more investigating. Nothing came up for a long time... so I took a break. I went over to the lobby, which was pretty empty, except for that guy at the reception desk... Robert, right?"

"Yeah, the guy who fixed my cable."

"Anyway, I started to talk to him about just random stuff, and I found out that the first woman murdered was his mother, and the second his sister. Then while we were talking about the recent crimes, something slipped his tongue, like 'I did a pretty good job'."

"Oh my God that's stupid!" I said with a giggle.

Karen smiled. "Once he said that, and realized I heard it too, he jumped me and knocked me out with something. I woke up some time later, in a large room, tied up, with him sitting nearby. When he had saw that I had woken up, he left the basement, to 'get some safety'. Then..."

"I walked in," I nodded understandingly. "Wow. And the motive?"

"Probably money. This building's worth at least a million dollars.You see, this is a family-run inn. The initial owner was the mother, Mrs. Beagle, who died two days ago. She was killed by her daughter and son. Then Robert, the son, got greedy and decided he wanted the whole estate for himself, and killed his own sister... just for money! Can you imagine a person more sick?"

"Wow," was all I could say.

Everyone wanted to be the first ones to give us hugs or high fives. I couldn't really make out what everyone was saying, since they were talking very quickly, and there were a lot of people there. Some words I did manage to hear though, were 'hero' and 'front page news'. I guess I'm not so different than a certain Canadian who's been granted the same status today, huh?

"Just one thing," Karen said when everyone was done congratulating us. "What was up with Jack and Maria?"

"Uh..." Jack began. "W-we can't tell you."

"Oh come _on_!" I groaned. "We both almost died. It's the least you can do."

"You mean Jack and Maria? Oh they're dat-" Elli cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God! Oops, I'm sorry!"

We all erupted into more congratulating again. I kind of suspected the two of them were closer than just friends, though I had never admitted it to myself because... well, I kinda liked Jack too! But all and all, I think everything turned out all right, eh?

**The End**

* * *

Author's Note: Well, that's the end! I hope you enjoyed it, and even if you didn't thanks so sticking around so long! Sorry the story was kinda more about golf and stuff... it was just kinda to throw you off so you'd forget about the mystery! Anyway, please review, it would mean a lot if you told me what you thought! Thanks a whole bunch! Eeee... now I'll go surf other HM fics! 


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